


Through The Rabbit Hole

by Kris



Category: Eureka
Genre: Alternate Reality, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-10-13
Updated: 2009-10-13
Packaged: 2017-10-12 10:13:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/123801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kris/pseuds/Kris
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An experiment goes awry that changes the way people in Eureka think about each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Through The Rabbit Hole

**Author's Note:**

> written for the summer exchange 2009 on the marshal_science lj community

"Look, I don't care what you need it for, you need me to sign off on it, and I'm not signing off on an experiment that has a ninety percent chance of blowing a crater in the center of town or causing a black hole to open up in Iceland. Not going to happen." Jack smiles as pleasantly as he can at Nathan who's glaring at him like he's about to rip Jack's throat out, but Jack can't bring himself to care really.

"It's not a ninety percent chance," Nathan counters. The annoyance in his voice plain to hear all the way across Cafe Diem where the reason Jack is smiling is watching both men with wary eyes.

"Fine, I rounded up," he says.

"From seventy eight?" Nathan demands.

"You want to keep your voice down?" Jack asks. "Allison's glaring at us something fierce right now, and you know the last time we got into it she threatened to send us to joint counseling." The glare on Nathan's face dials down a few notches. The angry line on his forehead smoothing out into something softer.

"Crap," the scientist mutters. 

"You said it," Jack says. "But I'm still not signing off on this project. It's a violation of about forty different by-laws that I can name off the top of my head --"

"Really? So name them," Nathan interrupts. Jack stares at him.

"What?"

"Name the by-laws the experiment violates," Nathan says, leaving Jack stumbling to think because he was exaggerating but not by that - a white light spreads over the entire town, washes into Cafe Diem and just as suddenly as it rolled through, it's gone.

"What the hell was that?" Jack demands. 

"Don't know, but I should probably get back to the office and figure it out," Nathan says. He leans down and Jack tilts his head up to meet Nathan's lips. 

"See you after work, babe, what time do you think you'll get out?" from the corner of Jack's eye he can see Allison heading their way, cell phone on her ear, smile on her lips at the sight of them.

"If it's nothing, probably around 8 o'clock," Nathan kisses him again, soft brush of lips against his. "If it's Fargo, don't wait up."

"If it's Fargo again, I'm going to kill him," Jack replies. Nathan grins and then he and Allison out the door on their way back to Global Dynamics.

***

"You look happy," Allison says as she settles into the passenger seat of Nathan's SUV.

"We're thinking about moving in together," Nathan replies. If they could harness the wattage energy from the smile on Allison's face they could power Section Five for a year. Then again, she's been asking him when he and Jack were finally going to get around it. Not for the first time, Nathan thanks god that Allison took his and Jack's relationship so well. As co-directors of GD it was one of the things that had worried Nathan from the start, making him want to keep everything secret but with the amount of times either or Jack, or even Zoe tend to get injured and wind up in the infirmary, it's not really a surprise that the secret didn't exactly keep.

"You have any idea what we might be looking at?" Nathan asks and ignores the outright glee Allison is projecting. "Off the top of my head I can't think of anyone in my departments who would be working on a device with that kind of power output. Not even Section Five."

"I don't know," Allison replies. "We'll have to get back and see what that was first."

***

"S.A.R.A.H., door," Zoe orders for the third time.

"I'm sorry, Zoe, but I cannot comply at the moment," S.A.R.A.H. says. Zoe shouts her frustration to the ceiling.

"God, why not?" she demands. "I have to get to Cafe Diem or I'm going to be late for my shift."

"There was an unusual surge of radiation that has affected the town," S.A.R.A.H. replies, it's not safe to send you out there yet." 

"What kind of radiation?" Zoe demands, less angry, more worried. Her dad is out there somewhere.

"I am unable to determine the origin or the level of danger, I'm sorry Zoe, I am initiating quarantine procedures."

"No!" Zoe shouts. "No, you can't, Dad is still out there somewhere and we have to figure out if they need help."

"The biggest help you can be," S.A.R.A.H. advises her in a way that tells Zoe the house has been reading too many internet parenting blogs again. "Is to keep yourself safe and in the same spot."

"This isn't the mall, S.A.R.A.H., " Zoe snaps. "I'm not lost in the Wal-mart."

"Initiating quarantine procedures," S.A.R.A.H. SAYS, ignoring Zoe completely.

***

He's sitting at the red light when his phone beeps, a text message from Allison that has him smiling as he dials Nathan's number.

"Jack," Nathan smiles when he answers his phone, Jack can tell by the way his voice lightens from whatever scientist he was yelling at. A text message from Allison always lets him know when it's time for Jack's special brand of interference, usually about the time the scientist in question looks like they're about to piss their pants.

"Hey babe, just wondering what you've learned," he asks. 

"It was an EMP burst," Nathan replies. "We're not sure what it's purpose was since it doesn't seem like any technology was affected."

"And that's a good thing, right?" Jack asks with a grin.

"Yes, Sheriff, that's a good thing," Nathan says, voice heavy with that special tone he reserves just for when Jack is being an idiot. Part aggravation but mostly amusement.

"Oooh, Sheriff huh?" he asks and turns the Jeep towards home. "Does that make you the naughty scientist? Do I get to use the cuffs tonight?" Jack asks. Nathan coughs and Jack's one hundred percent positive that the other man's got a blush going.

"Sure," he says, keeping his voice even. "I'll see you after."

"Oh," Jack says, with full out innuendo. "I'll be ready for you." The bunker, when he gets there, is silent and S.A.R.A.H. refuses to open the door. More than a little concerned, Jack calls Zoe.

"Oh my god, Dad!" Zoe says, voice rushed. "You have to come home straight away. S.A.R.A.H. won't let me out of the bunker, she's insisting that there's some kind of radiation or something out there and she initiated quarantine procedures."

"Zoe, I'm right outside," he says. He can hear Zoe pounding on the door on the other side. "I'm going to call Nathan, just hang on sweetie." 

"Nathan?" Zoe asks confused, but Jack hangs up before he hears anything else.

Nathan, when he answers Jack's call, sounds distracted in a way that says he's in the middle of something big. "Jack, I told you, I'll be home after 8," he says.

"Yeah, I need you to come home now," Jack says. "I think the EMP surge has affected S.A.R.A.H., she's locked Zoe inside and won't open the door, something about radiation and quarantine procedures."

"Right," Nathan says, all business. "I'll be there in a few minutes, let me get Fargo and Henry together."

"Okay," Jack says. Zoe is still thumping on the door and shouting and Jack hangs up and shouts at S.A.R.A.H. to let him in already, goddamnit.

***

It's arguably one of the funniest sights in Eureka, watching Sheriff Jack Carter trying to reason with his house. Nathan can't help the smile that plays at the corner of his lips when he and Fargo come to the top of the stairs leading down to the bunker.

"I honestly, honestly this time! promise that I'll be home for dinner every single night, just please open the door S.A.R.A.H."

"I cannot do that, Sheriff Carter," Nathan wipes the grin off his face and schools it into something more serious as he heads down the stairs.

"Nathan, thank god," Jack sighs and drops his head onto Nathan's shoulder when he wraps his arms around the frustrated man.

"It's going to be fine Jack, Henry's on his way over, we'll figure it out."

"Can you tell me why you won't let the Sheriff in, S.A.R.A.H.?" Fargo asks. 

"There was a surge of unknown radiation that has affected Eureka, you are all not acting yourselves, Zoe is protected as long as she's in the house." 

"Actually, S.A.R.A.H., that 'unknown radiation' was an EMP, it came from GD and we're working on it, but it hasn't actually affected anything," except you, Nathan doesn't add.

It takes three more hours of bargaining with the house before she'll open the door, and by then it's only because Henry voices the option of resetting her entire circuitry.

***

She doesn't know what's more disturbing, the site of her father and Nathan Stark having breakfast in the kitchen together, or the fact that Nathan apparently spent the night and the couch doesn't look slept on.

"Are you guys okay?" she finally asks, when her brain has stopped hurting from the confusion.

"Fine, Zoe," Dr. Stark says and grins at her. "We're just planning the move."

"Move?" she asks, she's not sure she actually wants the answer.

"Yeah, we finally decided to get on with it and Nathan's going to be moving in this week." She stares at them, the confusion brain pain has started again. It's probably a good thing to escape to work while she still can.

"I'm going to be late for work," she says.

"Oh, I'll drive you in," Nathan offers.

"No, that's okay. I'm sure I'll see you both at some point," she manages a smile and escapes.

Cafe Diem is just as freaky as being at home. Allison is smiling and telling her about how great it is that her Dad and Nathan are finally moving forward and Zoe is trying, very hard, not to cringe every time she sees her dad brush his hand over Nathan's at the counter.

***

Jo is apparently locking lips with Fargo. Fargo is over the moon with wedding (wedding!) plans and the Paulson triplets have missed their afternoon coffee. When she brings up the latter with Vincent, he looks at her funny and reminds her that they've sworn off caffeine for the rest of their natural lives.

***

"Do you think Zoe's okay with this?" Nathan asks. Jack looks over at his daughter smiling at Allison.

"Yeah," he says. "She's only been bugging us about it for how long now?"

"Right," Nathan says, but he doesn't seem that convinced. Jack leans over and takes his mouth in a kiss, with tongue.

"Oh my god, ew!" Zoe says and covers her eyes. "Seriously, not in front of the teenager!" she orders. Jack pulls away with a grin.

"See, perfectly normal," he says. Nathan's smiling again.

***

"There is something wrong with the town," S.A.R.A.H. tells Zoe. She eyes the ceiling dubiously. 

"You're not going to lock me in again are you?" she asks. 

"No, you remain yourself despite exposure to outside elements, however, Sheriff Carter and Doctor Stark are troublesome."

"Troublesome?" 

"They are in a relationship today and yesterday Sheriff Carter was insisting that it was perfectly legal for him to shoot Dr. Stark on sight for crimes against humanity," S.A.R.A.H. says.

"You make a valid point," Zoe says. She thinks about the way they acted in cafe diem, and at the breakfast table. "It's kind of cute though, isn't it?" she asks.

"It is disturbing," S.A.R.A.H. says.

***

The trouble with the town being weird is that, no matter what she does, Zoe can't convince people that there's a problem, and she's pretty sure if she keeps trying, she's probably going to wake up strapped to a bed with a 'you're the crazy person, not us' diagnosis.

The trouble with the town being weird is also that no matter where she looks, and no matter what she does, she can't find the source of the EMP surge anywhere and Global Dynamics, according to S.A.R.A.H.'s digging, hasn't found anything either.

The trouble with the town being weird is also that her dad is actually, honestly, happy. Happy in a way she hasn't seen in years, not since before he and mom started fighting.

***

"I'm making an executive decision, S.A.R.A.H.," Zoe says. Dad and Nathan are sitting on the couch in the living room watching some stupid movie and looking embarrassingly adorable.

"What decision is that?" S.A.R.A.H. asks quietly, just for her. It's taken years but Zoe has finally taught the house the meanings of the words 'secret' and 'discretion'.

"Things are freaky, but we should probably leave it well enough alone." The house makes an aggrieved sigh in response. Zoe regrets teaching her how to do that.

/end


End file.
